Hangovers 2: Telling the Family
by McAbbyAddict
Summary: Sequel to my earlier story, 'Hangovers'. Now that Tim and Abby have decided to stay married, they have to deal with the reactions of both families as well as the team
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Ok guys, here's the first chapter of a long overdue sequel to Hangovers. This picks up directly after Hangovers left off- if you haven't read Hangovers, you really do need to read that first. Enjoy! F.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters etc etc.**

They were greeted by Jethro's barking as McGee opened the door to his apartment. McGee smiled at his beloved pet's eagerness to get outside after being cooped up all day at work.

"I gotta take him for a run, Abs. I won't be long." He headed to his bedroom and changed into some sweats. Walking back out into the living room he picked up Jethro's lead and attached to his collar. "I'll pick up some food, ok? When I get back we can talk." He watched as a knowing grin crossed Abby's face. "Just talk?" she asked, her innocent sounding voice at odds with her expression. He felt his ears get hot and knew he was blushing but he refused to be teased. "I'll be back soon' he told her.

...

Abby laughed softly to herself as Tim left the apartment. Tim might be a strong, experienced, gun toting federal agent, but she could always manage to make him blush. She found it endearing.

As much as she wanted to be with him, now that they'd decided to stay married, she felt slightly awkward, unsettled. There was so much they needed to discuss- where they were going to live ranked high on the list- and she was glad of a few minutes alone to try and wrap her head around the changes that had happened in the last week. For now, she wanted to get out of her platform boots and tight shirt, and into something more comfortable.

She rummaged through Tim's drawers and borrowed an old MIT shirt and some sweatpants, knowing he wouldn't mind, then climbed into the shower. Once she was done she pulled on the baggy sweats, smiling ruefully when she realised just how baggy they were on her. She must have picked up some from before he lost the weight he was carrying when they met. After combing her hair out of its pigtails, she went back into the living room and stopped in surprise.

And older couple was standing in the middle of the living room, looking almost as surprised as she felt.

...

McGee whistled softly to himself as he walked up the stairs to his apartment, Jethro trotting before him. Whistling wasn't something he was much in the habit of doing; but then, he couldn't remember ever being this happy before. He'd left Abby alone while he walked the dog and picked up Chinese food from the takeaway down the street. He couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his face at the thought of his wife. His wife. He hadn't dared let himself dream about having Abby as his wife for a very, very long time. Their wedding may have been an accident, fuelled by way too much alcohol, but it still seemed almost miraculous to him that she'd decided she wanted to stay married. Eager to get home, knowing she was waiting for him, he quickened his pace, overtaking his dog on the stairs.

He opened the door and walked into an unexpected tableau. Abby and his parents stood in stunned silence in his living room. His mother spun towards him as he entered.

"Tim, you never told us you had a girlfriend!"

He sighed. This wasn't the way he wanted them to find out about Abby, but his parents were intelligent people. As soon as they spotted the wedding bands that both Abby and he wore, they'd know at least most of the truth.

"Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet Abby; my wife."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you everyone that read and reviewed the previous chapter. This story isn't going to be as long as the original- probably 5 or 6 chapters maximum. Enjoy :)**

They stared at him in disbelief. Looking at his mother, Tim saw the flicker in her eyes and unconsciously drew himself up to his full height, preparing for the inevitable storm to break. Maria McGee had always appeared to be the stronger of his parents- or at least the quicker to anger, qualities she'd passed on to his little sister Sarah. He caught sight of Abby looking from him to his mother, and felt sorry for her, getting stuck in the middle of it like this.

Maria was the first to find her voice.

"Your wife?"

Tim nodded. "We were married last Friday."

"But... how is this possible? When I spoke to you two weeks ago, you didn't even have a girlfriend! And now you're married?"

"We eloped." Tim told her shortly. He could see her trying to figure out how to respond to that. In the short silence, Abby spoke softly. "I should go." It was clear that her words were meant for Tim alone.

Tim took the two steps to her side. "Abby, you don't have to go."

She shook her head. "This will go smoother if I'm not here."

"Abs..." it was half apology, half entreaty. She gave him a small, understanding smile. "It's ok Timmy. I'll see you later."

...

He watched her go with a strange sense of having lost something. Suddenly he was angry; how dare his parents come here unannounced and spoil everything? He'd been so ridiculously happy when Abby had ripped up the annulment papers, and he wanted so badly to just spend the weekend with her- their first weekend as a married couple, or at least as a married couple that wanted to be married. Instead his parents had turned up and their reaction definitely left a lot to be desired. He clenched his teeth, trying to control his temper.

"What do you mean, you eloped?"

He hesitated before he answered that question, knowing there wasn't really any way of explaining a drunken Vegas marriage that would be acceptable to his mother- or any mother, for that matter.

"We didn't exactly plan it, Mum. We had a bit too much to drink, I said I'd never been to Vegas, and, well..." he trailed off, catching his dad's amused grin out of the corner of his eye. His mum went quiet for a moment, clearly turning over his words in her mind.

"Can't you get weddings like that annulled?"

That was the last straw.

"Yes, you can get 'weddings like that' annulled." He mimicked his mum's voice, knowing he was going to make her angrier than she already was, but much too angry himself to care about that right now. "But we're not going to. And I don't care if you don't like it, or like her- you've barely even met Abby, so how can you tell? Abby and I are married, and that's not going to change." He strode across the room and picked up his house keys off the table. "I'm going to Abby's. I don't know what you guys are doing here, or where you intend on staying, but I'm spending the weekend with my wife."

With that, he walked out, slamming the door shut behind him

...

Troy McGee stopped his wife from following their only son out the door.

"I wouldn't."

"Troy, I'm not going to let him leave here like that."

"Yes, Maria, you are."

"Why did he react like that?"

Troy smiled at that. "He loves her. Think about it, if someone said the things you said about us, how would you react?"

...

McGee knocked on Abby's door, hoping she wasn't too upset because of his parents to let him in. It took her a few minutes, but finally she opened the door. She looked sad and tired, so he did the only thing he could think of to cheer her up, pulling her close to him and holding her tightly.

"I'm sorry about my parents, Abs" he told her. "Mum overreacts."

She pulled away a little. "What if everyone reacts like that, Tim? What if they're right, and this is a mistake?"

Feeling like he'd been punched in the stomach, he swallowed hard against the hurt. "It doesn't matter what everyone thinks, Abs, as long as that's not what you think." He stopped shy of asking her straight out if she thought it was a mistake, afraid of the answer. She shook her head slowly. "I want this, McGee. I never thought I would want to be married to anyone, but I love you."

He kissed her softly, and then was unable to stop himself grinning. "It is pretty crazy though. I think we're going to have to get used to the disbelief."

"What did you tell your parents?"

"That we were married and staying that way... then I kinda stormed out."

She laughed, and then quickly grew serious again. "I hope they're not too mad."

He shrugged. "They'll come around. Dad will talk Mum out of it, as always. Oh well, at least that's one part of my family down. Sarah should be easier."

Abby made a face. "Now we've just got my family to tell... and Gibbs."

...

Gibbs crossed the darkened bullpen towards his desk. Unable to sleep and disinclined to work on his latest woodwork project, he'd come in to catch up on some of the mountain of paperwork that went along with his position as team leader. Something caught his eye as he walked past McGee's desk. Reaching into the trash can, he pulled out half of a sheaf of torn legal papers. From what he could see, they looked like the annulment papers that McGee and Abby had been waiting on. He chuckled to himself. When he'd told McGee to fix it, he'd wondered if this was the way things were going to end up. He'd known of McGee's feelings for the tall and beautiful Goth for years; Abby's feelings for McGee were harder to pin down. Watching them try to explain this on Monday could be interesting.

Putting the papers back in the trash can where they'd obviously decided they belonged, Gibbs settled at his desk and snapped on the lamp.

**A/N 2: I know Tim's Mum's reaction seems a little extreme... I was trying to picture how my family would react if I told them I eloped to Vegas lol. I'm pretty sure I'd be in serious trouble.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow, two chapters in one night. I'm on a roll :) **

As they spent more time together, McGee slowly started to recover the feeling of pure happiness that his parents had dispelled, and he got a taste of what life with Abby would be like. She constantly surprised him; with little things, like the massive amount of Caf-Pow! she had stored away in her refrigerator, and with big things as well. The biggest thing she surprised him with was her decision to take his last name.

"You're sure about that?" he asked after she told him what she'd decided. He hadn't pressed her at all, hadn't even really thought about it. If he had, he would have assumed that she was keeping her own last name.

"I'm sure, McGee." She quickly entered a qualification. "I'll still use Scuito for papers and stuff, because my professional reputation's tied to it, but for everything else I'll take your name."

...

They returned to McGee's apartment the following night, knowing that Jethro had to be fed and walked, and were surprised to find that his parents were nowhere to be found. For a moment, McGee felt a pang that they'd come this far to see him and he wasn't spending any time with them. But then he remembered his mother's reaction to their marriage, and stopped feeling guilty.

...

McGee didn't have any contact with his family for the rest of the weekend, partly due to being so preoccupied with Abby. And partly due to his anger at his mother's reaction to his marriage. She hadn't given them a chance at all, and it irked him.

So he was surprised to see a tall, familiar figure crossing the bullpen just before lunch on Monday. He got up from his desk to greet him

"Dad... What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you. Is there somewhere we can get lunch around here?" He looked around, a small smile on his face as he noticed the interest Tony and Ziva were trying to hide. "And bring your wife."

...

Tony watched curiously as the stranger exited the elevator and walked towards the bullpen. There was something unusual about him, a strange familiarity. As he drew level with Tony's desk, he realised what it was; the man looked like a slightly taller, older version of McGee, right down to the green eyes. It was clear who McGee took after. He tried to overhear what was being said, without appearing to eavesdrop. At the mention of McGee's wife, he gasped, quickly trying to cover it as a cough. So McGee had introduced Abby to his parents- as his wife? That could only mean one thing. Abandoning his plans to get lunch at one of the local cafes, he ducked out quickly to get takeout and settled down to eat at his desk. He wanted to be able to question McGee when he got back.

...

He watched the elevator like a hawk, waiting for McGee to come back from lunch. By sheer luck, when he returned there was no sign of Gibbs. Tony barely waited for him to make it past the edge of the cubicle before he pounced.

"So. How does Abby like her in-laws?"

McGee froze. "What do you mean, in-laws?" he asked cautiously.

Over McGee's shoulder, Tony saw Ziva get up from her desk and come to stand behind McGee.

"Your parents, McObtuse. If you two are staying married, they're her in-laws now."

"Who said we're staying married?"

"Oh come on, Tim, I heard your Dad call her your wife."

"We both did" Ziva put in.

"So?"

"So, if you introduced her as your wife, you must be staying married, right?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is really more fluffy than anything, I guess. I wrote it after writing a particularly difficult partial chapter of 'Disappearing'.**

**Updates could be few and far between for the next couple of days- we have our big bi-annual conference in Brisbane starting Wednesday, so I'll be very busy.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! F.**

After lunch, Abby headed back down to her lab alone and sat down, deep in thought. Troy McGee had been a pleasant surprise. He'd been silent the whole time when she'd met Tim's parents, and she'd taken that as a sign that he agreed with his wife's opinion. Today, she'd found out that it was a different story; he just wanted Tim to be happy. He seemed like a gentler person than Maria, at least on the surface- though Abby suspected that there was a very strong person underneath. All in all, she liked Tim's dad- time would tell about his mother. Although Tim seemed totally sure of his dad's ability to bring Maria around.

Realising that she was sitting idly, she got up and started sorting through the latest batch of evidence, quickly becoming absorbed in her work.

...

She was interrupted by the sound of the elevator. Gibbs strode in a second later, bearing her customary Caf-Pow!

"Got anything for me, Abs?"

"Test results from our latest victim. Ducky found a brownish white powder under his fingernails and around his nose. It's definitely cocaine, Gibbs."

He nodded. "That confirms the autopsy results. Thanks, Abs."

"I'm not done, Gibbs. Judging by his tox screen, our staff sergeant was hitting a whole bunch of different things. I found traces of crystal meth, heroin and oxycodone in his blood, apart from the cocaine. The guy was a walking drug store, Gibbs."

"Definitely the cocaine that killed him?"

"Oh yeah. There was enough coke in his bloodstream to kill at least two people. The other stuff was just traces, like he'd used it over the past couple of days. Looks like Sergeant Reynolds enjoyed himself a little too much while he was on leave."

She turned away from her computer and stopped him before he could leave.

"Gibbs?"

"Yeah, Abby?"

Now that she had his attention, she was suddenly nervous.

"Um, Tim and I talked it over... and we're not getting the annulment." The words came out in a rush. "I guess we finally realised that neither of us really wanted it to be over. So we're staying married." She took a breath, watching Gibbs' reaction. To her relief, he took a step forward and hugged her. "Congratulations, Abby" he said softly as he kissed her on the cheek.

...

Gibbs smiled broadly to himself as he walked down the short hallway from Abby's lab to the elevator. He was glad that Abby and McGee had finally gotten things sorted out- not that he'd tell them that, of course. But he knew that McGee would do his best to make sure that Abby was happy, and he couldn't ask for a better man for his surrogate daughter. By the time the elevator reached the squad room, his usual carefully neutral expression was back in place.

Judging by McGee's expression, however, Tony and Ziva had found out the good news. He looked a little harassed, which quickly changed to slightly scared as he caught sight of Gibbs.

"Reynolds died from a drug overdose" he announced. "Tony, Ziva- go talk to his CO again, see if he noticed anything that might have suggested he was using. " He waited until they were out of earshot before leaning low over McGee's desk.

"Got something you wanna tell me, McGee?"

He saw the younger agent swallow convulsively

"Abby tell you?" he asked nervously.

"Uh huh."

"Boss, I know you told me to fix it, and I know this isn't what you meant, but neither of us wanted to break it off. "

"McGee."

"And I know we're breaking Rule 12-"

"McGee!"

McGee finally stopped his nervous rambling and looked at his boss.

"I was gonna say congratulations."

He saw the look of surprise on his team member's face and grinned inwardly. Straightening up and going back to his desk, he changed the subject.

"Run down Staff Sergeant Reynolds bank account and credit card details. See if there's been any unusually large withdrawals at all."

McGee blinked a couple of times, and then got down to business. Gibbs gave him a minute then interrupted him.

"And McGee?"

"Yeah Boss?"

"If it interferes with your work, I'll bounce one of you out of here even quicker than you two got married. Clear?"

"Clear, Boss."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yay, a release from the writer's block!**

**As much as I hate to say it, I'm going to have to let you all know that my posting is going to get oven more erratic than it has been; I'm transferring stores at my job, which means moving almost 1400km away (that's around 870 miles for my non-metric friends). So I have a lot to plan and do before leaving Toowoomba.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! F.**

Troy McGee drove slowly back to the hotel, pondering what he'd seen that day. Abby wasn't the type of woman he'd expected his son to marry. Tim had a penchant for strong, smart women, and while Abby definitely fit those criteria, Troy was surprised by the Goth clothing. At first he'd been worried that Tim had gotten himself into a bad situation, but he'd quickly realised that Abby wasn't your stereotypical Goth. Behind the unconventional clothes and the pallid makeup was a warm and caring person. She was a lot less reserved than Tim, as well as being energetic to the point of hyperactivity. How much she cared for his son was evident every time she looked at him- a look that was matched by Tim's quietly proud smile. No, Abby definitely wasn't what he'd expected- but he had to admit that he liked her.

Now he just had to figure out how to talk Maria around.

...

When he got back to their hotel room, Maria had returned from visiting one of her old college friends and was waiting for him.

"What did you get up to today?" she asked after filling him in on her morning.

"I went and had lunch with Tim...and Abby."

"Oh?" Her tone was one of disinterest, but over thirty years of marriage had enabled him to tell when she was trying to hide something.

He waited a few moments to see if she would say anything else before replying. "They seem very happy."

"That's good."

He got up and went over to her, making her look at him.

"What is it about this marriage that you don't like, Maria?"

"She's all wrong for him, Troy!"

He shook his head. "I disagree. Abby is...unconventional, I'll admit. But she's smart, and funny, and caring, and she loves our boy. And I've never seen Tim so happy. I thought that's what you wanted. So what bothers you really?" When he got no reply, he continued "Tim loves Abby, Maria, and he's angry about how you-we- treated her. He's not going to give her up, and it'd be foolish to try to make him. So if you don't want to fight with our son, you'd better figure out the real reason why you don't like his marriage."

...

Abby moved around her lab later that evening, shutting down her equipment for the night. Some of her seemingly inexhaustible store of energy had deserted her; it had been a strange day, full of explanations and in-laws. She was more than ready to go home and relax with her husband. She couldn't stop herself from smiling at that. Tim was her husband.

Shutting down the computer at her desk, she picked up her coat and lunchbox and turned to leave the lab for the night. She was stopped in her tracks by the sight of Maria McGee waiting in the outer lab, looking around her in interest.

"Mrs McGee?"

"This is where you work? Tim said you were a forensic scientist."

Abby nodded, a little confused. "How did you get down here?"

""Tim's boss, Agent...Gibbs? He brought me down."

"Why?" Abby knew she sounded rude, but she couldn't help herself. Besides, this woman hadn't exactly been welcoming.

"I wanted to talk to you, without Tim or Troy around. To explain..."

Intrigued in spite of herself, Abby sat down on Tim's usual stool and gestured for Maria to take the other one. Maria sat in silence for a moment before beginning.

"When Troy and I were married, we wanted to start a family straight away. We tried for two years without any luck... When I fell pregnant with Tim, it was like a gift. But it was a difficult pregnancy from the beginning. I spotted for the first three months. I was terrified I was going to lose him. The first time I felt him kick, I cried..." She smiled reminiscently. "The doctors put me in hospital two months before he was due -complete bed rest. For two months, I lay in bed and thought about all the things I wanted to do with my child as he or she grew up. Little things, like teaching him to ride a bike, and bigger things, like being there for his college graduation. I've done almost all of them, Abby." She fell quiet again. Abby waited as the silence stretched uncomfortably, fairly certain she knew the answer as to why Maria McGee didn't like her.

"I just wanted to be there at his wedding."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok, so it occurred to me that even though I marked this story as 'humor', it hasn't been all that funny. I'll attempt to fix that. That said, this chapter is fluff. Sorry lol.**

Abby was quiet.

At first McGee put it down to her being tired- it had been another long day, and they still hadn't really had time to recover from their impromptu Vegas trip. But after both Jethro's antics and his own rather lame attempt to cook dinner failed to get more than a cursory smile, he began to worry. Something was wrong, but what? He didn't want to press her, knowing full well that if he did, she'd most likely either deny it, or get angry. So he kept quiet, hoping that she'd tell him when she was ready. She usually did, unless it was about another guy. He winced at the thought. He'd always hated it when she was dating somebody else. At least he didn't have to worry about that anymore.

By the time they'd both climbed into bed and she'd curled up in her now-customary spot with her head on his chest, he'd given up on getting to the bottom of her abstraction, at least for tonight. Just as he was on the point of falling asleep, however, she sat bolt upright and turned on the bedside lamp, half blinding him.

"We didn't do this right" she stated.

Squinting against the light, he asked in confusion "Do what right?"

"This" she gestured at the two of them. "Us. Getting married."

He felt his heart sink at her words. She couldn't be having second thoughts...could she? He didn't think he could handle it, getting everything he'd ever dreamed about, only to have it taken away.

Some of what he was feeling must have been written on his face, because she smiled at him gently. "Don't look so gutted, Tim. I'm not going anywhere." As if to prove her point, she leant forward and kissed him. "I love you, remember?" At his nod, she continued. "All I meant is that we did this backwards. Most people get engaged before they get married, or at least date. We just kinda"

"Fell into it?" he completed. She nodded. "Abs, we're not most people. Most people don't make PowerPoint presentations about jetpacks or- or sleep in coffins." He got a small snort of a laugh for that. "Besides, I didn't think you wanted any of that- the dress, the tuxedos, the big fancy wedding."

"I didn't think I did, either." She sighed. "Besides, it's too late now anyway."

He studied her, seeing the regret in her eyes. He shook his head. "No, it's not. Not if that's what you really want, Abs."

"We're already married, Tim" she pointed out.

"So? We'll call it a renewal of vows instead." He grinned at her. "I don't know about you, but I don't really remember taking the first ones- I was pretty drunk at the time." She burst out laughing at that, but the laughter was tinged with a combination of nervousness and relief. When it died away, she looked at him quizzically. "Do you really mean that?"

Completely serious, he looked her straight in the eye. "If it's what you really want, Abby."

She nodded slowly, a small but widening smile on her face. "It is, Tim."

"Then I guess we're getting married. Properly this time."


	7. Chapter 7

Over coffee the next morning, they started discussing plans for their wedding. Soon the subject of families came up.

"Tim, have you told Sarah yet?" Abby asked.  
>He looked up from his coffee mug. "Not yet..." he reached for his cell phone. "I should probably call her."<p>

She picked up the phone just before it went to voicemail, sounding grumpy as she answered. "Sarah McGee."

"Hey Sarah, its Tim."

"Tim, its 7 o'clock in the morning. What's wrong?"

He flushed; he hadn't thought about how early it was. "Did I wake you?"

"I was up until 4am studying, Tim. What is it?"

"I need to talk to you. Come to the Navy Yard."  
>She sighed. "Can't you just tell me over the phone?"<p>

Exasperated, he replied "Sarah, will you just come already?"

"Fine, I'll be there for lunch, ok?"

"Fine."

He hung up to find Abby laughing at him. "Is she always like that?"

He half shrugged. "I woke her up. Have you told your family yet?"

"I haven't been able to get a hold of my brother... but I sent my mum an email." He looked at her. "Well, it's easier for her than a phone call... all those teletype phones, they're just so...inconvenient."

"So what did you say?"

"I told her that you were a federal agent, and that you're really into computers and science..." She stopped when she realised he was laughing at her. "What?"  
>"You kinda made me sound like a geek, Abs."<p>

"So, what's wrong with that? You are a geek, McGee" she pointed out. "What would you prefer I told her? That you willingly sleep in my coffin, are a little turned on by my dog collars and have a tat on your ass?"

He flushed as he thought about that. "Yeah, probably better we do it your way."

...

The morning was busy; McGee had barely gotten to his desk when they got a call out to another dead Marine from Reynolds' unit. By the time they'd processed the scene, brought the body and the evidence back to headquarters and started running the various tests, it was lunchtime. McGee and Abby both managed to sneak away, McGee uneasily aware of how little time they had to explain things to Sarah.

She was running late to the cafe; he'd arranged the meeting point by text during the morning, knowing she'd forget if she went back to sleep. She sat down across from them, still with her heavy-looking pack across one shoulder.

"Tim, what is so important that I had to come down here to meet you?"

He sighed; his little sister still hadn't gotten over her bad mood of earlier today.

"Have you met Abby?" he asked. "I don't think you did when you were here before."

Sarah looked at Abby as if she was trying to place her. "No, we haven't met. Wait, I remember you. Tim said you're the one that ran the tests that proved I was drugged that night. I meant to thank you for that." Still impatient, she looked back at her older brother. "Tim, I really do need to study. Is everything ok?"

"Sarah, Abby and I are married."

She let her pack drop to the ground next to her chair.

"What?"

"Abby and I are married" he repeated.

Clearly exasperated, she said "Tim, I do not have time for this. I have exams coming up; I should be studying, not coming all the way down here for some stupid joke!"

As Sarah continued, Abby leaned closer to him and whispered "I thought you said Sarah would be easier than your parents."

"I thought she would be" he responded. Thinking it was time to stop her, he called her name.

"Sarah." He used the tone that she occasionally listened to; for once, she stopped and looked at him. "This isn't a joke, Sarah."

"Tim and I really are married." Abby put in.

"Oh." For a moment she sounded taken aback then her usual nature asserted itself. "How? And when?"

Tim and Abby exchanged looks. "Well, there's this little chapel in Vegas..." Tim began.


	8. Chapter 8

Once Sarah got over the initial shock of discovering that her big brother had eloped- and with someone he wasn't even dating- she'd relaxed enough to laugh as Tim and Abby had recounted the story of how they'd ended up married. As they walked back to headquarters, Abby felt a lot better about Tim's family. She still didn't quite know what to make of his mother; she knew disappointment could do strange things to people, but her reaction seemed a little odd. She hoped that their second 'wedding' would bring Maria around. She didn't really want to fight with her mother in law for the next few decades.

...

Tim was curious to know what Abby's impressions of his little sister were. Sarah could be pretty intense sometimes, and that turned some people off. He didn't really think that it would bother Abby- after all, she was more than a little intense herself- but still, he was close to his little sister and he didn't really want that to change.

He walked into the bullpen from the back elevator just as Gibbs entered it from the main elevator, earning himself a look for his lateness. He cringed a little, remembering Gibbs' condition for overlooking his and Abby's breach of Rule 12. He'd have to watch his step. Quickly he turned his attention to pulling the financial records of Corporal Schmidt, the Marine that had been found dead early this morning, knowing that Gibbs would be asking for them shortly.

...

There was a sign stuck to her door. Abby rolled her eyes as she pulled it off. This one wasn't as creative and didn't have the expertise of the 'McForensics' sign Tony had stuck to her door a week or so ago. This time it was 'McLab of Abby McSciuto'. She wondered briefly if Tony was running low on McNames. She doubted it, but this was one of his less inspired ones.

She was more pleasantly surprised by the two figurines she found sitting on top of one of her computer monitors. One was a little suited man, dressed in a miniature version of the field agents' windbreaker, right down to the ball cap. She laughed when she saw 'NCIS' printed across the cap, and then turned her attention to the other figure. It was a little pigtailed Goth doll, wearing a black dress with platform boots and a spiky dog collar. As she studied the Goth doll, she heard a noise behind her and turned. Tony was standing there, grinning at her.

"Tony, did you do this?" she asked, waving the figurine in her hand in his general direction. He looked a little wary. "Well...yeah. I know I upset you with dressing Bert and I hoped..." he trailed off as she moved towards him, the wary look deepening.

"I love them! Thanks, Tony." She hugged him before stepping back. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd found any traces of drugs on Schmidt's clothing."  
>"Not yet. You're too early, Tony. If you were Gibbs, you'd come in right as I had something. "<p>

He laughed, turning to leave the lab. Abby called after him "Thanks, Tony!"

After he'd gone, she looked at the figurines again and smiled. She wondered what Tim would think about using them on top of their wedding cake. They were just perfect.

...

As she went to shut down the last of her equipment later that evening, the sound that announced a new email came from her desk computer. Curious- usually the only emails she got to her work address were from the team- she hurried over and checked it. She skimmed through it at first, then stopped and re read it, making sure she'd read right the first time. She quickly printed it off, shut down the computer and got in the elevator.

Tim was still at his desk when she got to the squad room, packing his things up for the day, as were the other agents. She ignored them and went to Tim's desk.

"We've got a problem" she told him as she dropped the printout in front of him. "This is an email from my mother. She got my email, and she's flying up here to meet you."

Tim picked up the piece of paper and read it over. "She arrives on the 26th" he read out loud. "But that's"

"Tomorrow."


End file.
